Health of Grandmothers as Caregivers: A Ten Month Follow-Up

ABSTRACT

This study examined changes, over 10 months, in self-assessed health, depression, anxiety, stress, coping and support in a convenience sample of 74 grandmothers living in the same home as grandchild(ren) and to compare them with grandmothers who had either primary (n = 49) or partial/supplemental (n = 25) responsibility for their grandchildren's care. Grandmothers showed high stability over ten months time, with many reporting elevated depression and parenting stress at both time points. Depression was associated with greater parenting stress, primary responsibility for caregiving, and with avoidant and minimizing coping. Better self-assessed health was linked with less parenting stress, and less formal and instrumental support. Study findings are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Grandmother caregivers
• depression
• parenting stress
• coping
• social support